F1 2024 Abu Dhabi GP: McLaren Seal Constructors Title As Norris Dominates

Matt Kew and Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport) recount their experience of watching the cars over the three days in Bahrain. They talk about how the Mercedes looked like it was struggling to dial-in the handling, how Red Bull grabbed a last minute glory run, and how Ferrari were not-so-quietly confident. With the final day of pre-season testing complete, is porpoising still a thing? What happened to the McLaren brake ducts? Why did Lewis Hamilton say Mercedes are not in contention for a win in Bahrain? And if Mercedes turn up next weekend and put the cars 5th and 6th on the grid, would be we surprised? All of those questions answered on today's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

12 Mars 202227min

The second day of the final 2022 Formula 1 pre-season test is in the books, with Carlos Sainz Jr leading the way for Ferrari. It was a day that was blustery and blowy, meant the many red flags that flew were streaming strongly.  Alex Kalinauckas is hosting the podcast today, summarising and understanding the day. To look ahead of the final day of the test here in Bahrain on Saturday, he's joined by Matt Kew and Luke Smith.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11 Mars 202219min

WARNING: This podcast discusses specific events and moments in the new Netflix series. If you don't want to spoil any of those surprises,  make sure you bookmark this episode and come back after you've watched the show. Jess McFadyen is joined by Luke Smith to discuss the fourth season of Drive To Survive, having been given access to the series some time ago. The series is out now and keenly anticipated amongst Formula 1 fans. Some of their highlights include Lewis Hamilton letting viewers into his Covid experience and worries about staying healthy. The 2021 rookies are all represented too, with Tsunoda, Schumacher and Mazepin given decent airtime. Once again there is an inflated sense of antagonism between some of the rivalries which does not please those looking for a ‘pure’ telling of the story. The largest omission is the lack of Max Verstappen, the Formula 1 World Champion, who finally provided Drive To Survive a title fight. Max has said he doesn't like the way some rivalries, such as the Norris vs Sainz in a previous series, are painted as more contentious than they really are. Without his direct involvement it's left to Christian Horner to talk about the Red Bull perspective on the title fight. The elephant in the room is the inclusion of Nikita Mazepin and discussions around Uralkali funding of the Haas team, given the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine and international sanctions against the Mazepin family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11 Mars 202236min

Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor, Autosport) joins Martyn Lee to explain THOSE Mercedes sidepods, or rather lack of them, and what it means for the development race in 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10 Mars 202238min

Autosport's Chief Editor Kevin Turner loves a list and in Part 2 of our new podcast series we're ranking another ten drivers. Just like the first which counted down the Top 10 Ferrari drivers, you'll no doubt have an opinion on this one too. This week it's the youngest team on our mini-series, Red Bull Racing.  Kevin is joined by Grand Prix Editor Alex Kalinauckas and F1 Reporter Luke Smith. Thanks to the Autosport Podcast sponsor, BetterHelp online therapy.  We talk about BetterHelp a lot on this show, and this month we’re discussing some of the stigmas around mental health. Many people think therapy’s for so-called crazy people. But, therapy doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you. It means you recognize that all humans have emotions, and we need to learn to control them, not avoid them. And we’ve been taught that mental health shouldn’t be a part of normal life. But that’s wrong too. We take care of our bodies with the gym, the doctor and nutrition. We should be focusing on our minds just as much. BetterHelp is customized online therapy that offers video, phone and even live chat sessions with your therapist, so you don’t have to see anyone on camera if you don’t want to. ● It’s much more affordable than in-person therapy and you can be matched with a therapist in under 48 hours. ● Give it a try and see why over 2 million people have used BetterHelp online therapy Get 10% off your first month at https://betterhelp.com/autosport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10 Mars 202256min

Today we're joined by professional racing driver, TV commentator and MotorsportUK board member Karun Chandhok. We're looking ahead to the Bahrain test this week and discussing what was learned from Barcelona. Should the teams have foreseen the porpoising issue? And can teams fix any issues completely within the timescale and the budget restrictions? Karun also talks about how international sporting bodies have taken a stance against Russian and Belarusian athletes. He discusses, from his perspective as a driver, the role of professional sportspeople as influencers and role models. Finally we look at the driver line-ups following Max Verstappen's long term commitment to Red Bull Racing, and which driver pairings he thinks are the ones to watch this year. Karun is joined by GP Racing magazine editor Ben Anderson and your host, Alex Kalinauckas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9 Mars 202257min

As the most successful constructor in Formula 1 history, and its only ever-present force since 1950, Ferrari has had its fair share of top-line drivers during its world championship history. Autosport takes on the task of ranking its very best from the past 71 years. Alex Kalinauckas is joined by Matt Kew and, of course, Kevin Turner to argue about which drivers deserve their place in the Top 10. Thank you to today's podcast sponsor BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month by using this link, which also let's the know you heard about BetterHelp on the Autosport Podcast: www.betterhelp.com/autosport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3 Mars 20221h 16min

Tom Howard is fresh off the plane from Sweden with his full review of how Kalle Rovanperä took an emphatic victory to take charge of the championship. The 21 year old decided on muted celebrations, after giving his support to the people of Ukraine currently under Russian invasion, exactly 21 years after his father Harri took his only World Rally Championship victory at the same event.    In contrast, Elfyn Evans had a weekend to forget. A 10 second time penalty caused by him leaving the designated course, whilst recovering from crashing over a snow back on the final corner, would just be the start of his pain. To discuss that and a lot more, Martyn Lee joins Tom Howard to look back at memorable weekend of motorsport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1 Mars 202240min